


a way with words

by All_out_of_love_and_pizza



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Flirting, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Post Season 8, Season 8 Fix It, alluras still dead sorry, keith and lance, klance, slight angst but not really, tags to be added later maybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 01:46:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17889242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_out_of_love_and_pizza/pseuds/All_out_of_love_and_pizza
Summary: Lance wasn’t in love with Keith, maybe he had been once upon a time but then he’d had Allura and he’d matured, moved on. He didn’t love Keith, really, he didn’t. But sometimes he just looked at him, really looked. And everything around them just sort of faded, and the only thought, mantra-like and intense in Lance’s head was “I could.”And maybe that’s why he was so worried about the color of his shirt, or how his hair looked. Because that ‘I could’ was dangerously close to ‘I want to’.Or, two dumbasses are finally on the same page





	a way with words

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya hey you can yell at me on tumblr at @awakebyawindow  
> This was a fic giveaway and if you liked it, leave a kudo or comment ✨

Honestly Lance should have worn the blue shirt, he knew that blue was his color, everyone knew that. But no, minutes before everyone got to his farm for the 4th anniversary of Allura’s sacrifice, he ran to his room and switched to a red one. He's not sure why he’s so concerned about how he looks tonight. Maybe because it’s the first time he’s seen them all (him) in a year. Any person would be a little self conscious. Right?  
“Lance!” Veronica shouted from down the stairs. “Team Dorktron is here!”  
Lance chuckled to himself as he rushed down the stairs, slinging himself on the bannister and sliding down the rest of the way. Reaching the door, he peeked in the glass window by it to check his reflection and then flung it open wide, grinning.  
Pidge stood before the rest of the group, smirking. “Took you long enough.”  
He dove on her, scooping her into a hug and ruffling her hair. “Awwww Pidgey, you couldn’t wait to see me!”  
She laughed, elbowing him the face as she wrestled out of his grasp. “Yeah, surprisingly I actually missed you this time.” She stuck her tongue out at him like the mature adults they were. “Bitch.”  
She brushed past him, leaving him to hug Hunk and Shiro and Coran, and then, at the back of the group because of course he would be, that bastard, was Keith.  
His hair was even longer than it was the last time he saw him. He had it pulled back in a loose ponytail that left strands framing his angular face, the scar cutting brutally down one side only adding an edge of ruggedness. Goddamn.  
Keith was always beautiful but something about the dark blue shirt he was wearing tonight, the jeans and sandals, and the loose open look on his face...he was irresistible.  
Lance wasn’t in love with Keith, maybe he had been once upon a time but then he’d had Allura and he’d matured. He didn’t love Keith, really, he didn’t. But sometimes he just looked at him, really looked. And everything around them just sort of faded, and the only thought, mantra-like and intense in Lance’s head was “I could.” And maybe that’s why he was so worried about the color of his shirt, or how his hair looked. Because that ‘I could’ was dangerously close to ‘I want to’.  
Lance realized he had been staring a little, but Keith didn’t seem to notice, he was busy laughing.  
“What?” Lance asked self-consciously, damn it he should have gone for the blue shirt.  
Keith, still grinning, looked up at him through his lashes and fuck, if that wasn’t gorgeous. “Red and blue.” He said, gesturing between his own shirt and Lance’s.  
Oh. Well, something in him kind of liked that he and Keith were color coordinated, but he shushed that part and laughed. “Astute observation, Keithy Boy.” He grabbed Keith’s shoulder and pulled him in for a hug that maybe lasted two seconds too long but who was there to notice?  
Keith patted Lance’s back and murmured. “How are you?”  
Lance winced a little, still wary of this question on this day. “I’m alright.” Keith gave him a dubious look. “No, really. Somewhere along the line, this day just turned into remembering, instead of missing her.”  
Keith smiled gently and grabbed his arm, brushing past him and dragging him behind, into the living room of Lance’s house. “Good.”

So maybe Lance had a little too much to drink, but Pidge challenged his tequila shot record and Lance wasn’t about to take that lying down, who did she think he was? So too many shots and a lot of shit talking later, everyone was collapsed on the floor of the living room, giggling and exchanging stories from the last year. They made plans to meet up sooner than next year, made much easier because Keith was on earth for a while this time.  
“So, there I was, covered in mayonnaise, the baby was screaming and it’s mom was collapsed on the ground and all I could think was, “Man, that raccoon was a bad idea.” Hunk was saying, and Lance tuned in just in time to giggle with everyone else.  
“Hunk, I don’t know how you get yourself into these messes.” Pidge said, laughing so hard that every other word was punctuated with a snort.  
Lance looked around amidst the chuckling, noticing the missing person. “Hey, where’d Keith go?”  
Everyone shrugged.  
He stood up, stepping over his friends who had already resumed conversation.  
A little while of searching later, he finally found the Red paladin, outside sitting on the old truck that no one had used in years, looking at the stars.  
Lance sat beside him, grabbing the blanket Keith had and pulling it over his legs as well. “You know, after so long spent in the stars, you still don't seem sick of them.”  
Keith smiled, scooting a little to make room. “Yeah. Don’t think I ever will be.”  
“How long are you here for? Gotta place to stay?”  
Shrugging, Keith made a face. “I think a month or two. I got a room at the Garrison.”  
Lance snorted and flailed his arms. “You came to fucking Iverson for a place before me? Keith!” He looked on incredulously as the Red Paladins face remained unmoved “I have a whole farm!”  
“You’d let me stay here?” Keith asked, unsure, finally looking over at Lance.  
Lance shoved his shoulder with own. “Duh.” Their eyes held.  
“Oh.” Keith said, and, god help him, Lance found his eyes dropping to Keith’s lips. He had good lips. “Well, alright then.”  
Lance sighed and broke the gaze. “It’s really been a while since we talked, huh?”  
“Yeah,” Keith chuckled. “You’ve missed a lot.”  
Lance perked up, scooting closer to the other boy. “Oh yeah? Fill me in.”  
“Okay, well, firstly, Krolia got engaged.”  
“Holy shit no way.”

“Yeah, so after everything stopped exploding, Iverson obviously knew it was me, so they kicked me out and I…” Keith giggled. “Shacked up.”  
“Keith I literally cannot believe that you just said that.”  
They had somehow scooted even closer during the hour or so they’d been out there, and now Lance could feel every inch that his knee was pressed to Keith’s.  
“Also, THAT WAS YOU? Dude I literally framed a picture that Pidge got of Iverson’s face when everything started to explode. It hung on my wall for like 6 months.”  
Keith was laughing, and the starlight managed to get caught in his eyelashes, tangling like spider webs, and pour gracefully down his face and neck. Yeah, Lance was maybe back on his bullshit.  
“We really should have been friends in the Garrison.” Keith said, still chuckling.  
“Yeah but I was busy being your rival, and you were busy being a dick hole.” He shot back.  
Keith...blushed a little? What the heck. “I wasn’t trying to be a...a dick hole. I was awkward and I didn’t know how to talk to you.”  
Lance snorted. “Uh huh, sure. I saw you talking to Griffin! Don’t blame this on not knowing how to talk to people.”  
Keith glanced up at him. “No, I knew how to talk to people, I just…” He looked away, and the moonlight caught on the dusting of pink on his cheekbones. “I don't know, didn’t know how to talk to...you.”  
Lance froze a little, his heart slowing and breath stopping. “Why...why not?”  
“Well, you were...bright, and energetic and talented and...beautiful.” Lance’s heart stopped altogether, goddamn fucking Keith. “And l just, froze up every time you talked to me. I still…” He was looking at Lance again and Lance couldn’t even find it in himself to be embarassed by how soft his face must look right now. “I still do. For all the same reasons. And also because, I-I care. About you. A lot.” His face was so red and Lance wanted to kiss it.  
He couldn’t speak. Oh my god. This one moment in Lance’s life when he really needed to say something and of course it would be the ONE TIME that he couldn’t find a single word in himself except “Yes. Yes. Yes. Me too. All of it.”  
But he couldn't say that. Could he?  
“Lance…?” Oh god, Keith looked so worried. “Look, I’m sorry, I shouldn't have said that tonight, not on...you know. I’m sorry, thats-this is the worst time to tell you I love you--ohfuckohshitimsosorry.”  
Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, gripping tightly. “Keith.” Please, please let him say more words than that. “Stop freaking out. It’s...I mean, I-god why am I like this.” He groaned. And tried again. “I like you too.”  
Keith stopped dead. “I-what?”  
“I like you too.” Oh thank fuck he finally got it out. “So just stop, doing whatever that was.”  
Keith blushed, and he was so bright red that even in the darkness Lance could see it, like a stop sign. “I...um. What? Wait. Okay, I.” He coughed violently. “Right. Okay. Yeah. Uh huh.”  
Lance, chuckled, and leaned over to stop Keith with a light kiss on his cheek.  
“You’ve always had a way with words, mullet.”  
When Lanced pulled back, Keith was staring at him, so softly, goddamn, but he wasn’t blushing anymore.  
“Oh shit!” Lance laughed. “I can’t even call you mullet anymore, I’m gonna have to call you something else, unless you’re gonna cut the ponytail.”  
Keith finally looked away from him, and smiled widely, gazing at the stars. “Nope, the ponytail is here to stay.”  
Lance looked over at Keith, who’s cheeks were just barely tinged with pink, and who was biting his lip to keep from grinning. “Yeah,” He murmured. “So am I.”  
So yeah. The ‘I could’ was getting stronger all the time.


End file.
